Whiffletree.



T. MARTIN.

WHIFFLETREE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1912.

1,026,522. j Patented 1VI2Ly .14, 1912.

.1 6 L Y Z; a 5 6" 1 2 QP igZ Z WITNESSES INVENTOR Arm/Mfrs COLUMBIA PIANOGRAPH 120-. WASHINGTON, D. C.

T. MARTIN, OF MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS.

WHIFFLETREE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1912.

Application filed March 6, 1912. Serial No. 681,920.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, T. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Missouri City, in the county of Fort Bend and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVhiflletrees, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in draft devices in the nature of whiffletrees which may be embodied in doubletrees, swingletrees, draft eveners or similar devices; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combination of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a top plan view of my invention embodied in a draft device intended for use on wagons and in which the doubletree has openings for stay chains leading rearwardly therefrom. Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of a doubletree which may be found useful on plows and in which the stay chain connection is omitted. Fig. 3 is a detail section on about line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a draft device such as shown in Fig. 2.

In carrying out my invention, I seek to provide an inexpensive, practically indestructible device which will facilitate the connection and disconnection of coupling devices which may be in the form of trace hooks or otherwise as will be readily understood from the drawing, which will permit the connection of trace chains should a trace hook or link become broken; in which the cooperating devices will tend to reinforce each other in such manner as to secure the greatest strength with a given Weight of metal and in which the fastening rod will extend entirely through the tubular body and beyond the ends thereof so that it may be conveniently secured and manipulated in the practical use of the invention.

It will be noticed especially from Fig. 1, that my invention may be embodied in a doubletree A or swingletrees B and that the coupling devices may be the central link 1 at the middle of the doubletree A or the links 2 connecting the ends of said doubletree with the swingletrees B or they may be trace hooks 3 as shown at the ends of the swingletrees C as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. The doubletree A may, when used on wagons, have openings O for the stay chains O, which latter will be used in the ordinary manner but when the doubletree is used in plowing, the

stay chains may be omitted.

The improved devices are formed with a tubular body D which opens at both ends as will be understood from the drawing and is provided in its front side near its opposite ends with transverse notches E which extend at E rearwardly beyond the bore F of the tubular body. This tubular body is an important feature of my invention and it is provided at its rear side with a longitudinal rib or head Gr extending from end to end of the tubular body and widened at G at points opposite the notches E and also widened at G at a point intermediate the ends of the body D and this widened portion G is provided with an opening Gr for the coupling device H as shown in the drawing.

The fastening rod I which is formed to fit snugly within the bore of the body A as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, extends longitudinally through the bore F and projects at its ends beyond the ends of the body D and is provided at one end with a head I and at its other end with a suitable fastening which may be in the form of a cotter pin I as shown in the drawing. It will be noticed that this fastening rod I operates near one end to secure the coupling device inserted in one of the notches E and near its other end to secure the coupling device inserted in the other notch E and projecting as the rod does, beyond the ends of the tubular body, I secure a reinforce ment by the said rod I of the tubular body throughout the length of the said body to the extreme ends thereof.

If in using the improvement in plowing or otherwise where trace chains are used, the coupling such as the hook 3 becomes broken, any suitable link of the chain may be secured by the fastening rod without necessitating the substitution of new couplings and avoiding the delay frequently incident to procuring same. The longitudinal rib G with its widened portions operates to reinforce and strengthen the tubular body, the end portions Gr forming arch-like supports for those portions D of the tubular body which lie outside of the transverse notches E.

I claim:

1. A draft device comprising a tubular metallic body open at both ends and provided in its front side near each end with a notch which notch intersects and extends rearwardly beyond the bore of the body, said body being provided longitudinally along its rear side with a rib or bead extending from end to end of the body and widened rearwardly at points opposite the transverse notches, and also widened rearwardly at a point midway its ends and having the latter widened portion provided with an opening for the reception of a coupling device, and a rod extending through the tubular body and projecting beyond the ends thereof, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A draft device comprising a tubular body piece open at both ends and provided in its front side with notches intersecting the bore of the body and extending rearwardly beyond the same, and a fastening rod extending longitudinally through the body and across the notches and operating at one end to secure a coupling device inserted in one notch and at its other end to secure a coupling deviceinserted in the other notch and means operating in connection with said rod to prevent its longitudinal displacement when applied for use, substantially as set forth.

T. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

D. R. PEARSON, PERRY B. TURPIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C." 

